Taking Hostages
by The-Caitiff
Summary: Not your usual veela bonding story. When young veela enter puberty, their instincts guide them to the perfect man. It's either love or death for these beings of lust and flame, and Gabrielle Delacour has her mind set on love. HPGD
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer; I do not own Harry Potter nor any of the characters therein.

A/n; I wish to apologize in advance to anyone who's native language is French. I'll be honest, this is about the limit of my French. I know enough that eventually people suddenly know what I'm talking about and start giving directions very slowly in simple words.

00000

With a flash and a bang a triple-decker, violently purple bus which had The Knight Bus written over it's windshield in gold letters, driven by a half blind madman in his golden years, pulled up to the curb in a perfectly normal suburb in Surrey. This wasn't just any perfectly normal suburb, though you wouldn't know it from looking, the bus had just arrived in Little Whinging (Magnolia Terrace to be precise), summer home of one of the most famous wizards in the world. After taking a few seconds to climb down from the upper level, a cute young girl with long blond hair and vibrant blue eyes stepped off the bus and blew a kiss to the conductor who was stammering and blushing.

The young girl in question was wearing a simple yellow sundress and humming with happiness. Gabrielle Delacour stopped humming to look at the street signs vexedly before closing her eyes and focusing on that quiet inner voice that told her exactly where she needed to go. Her happy humming resumed and she skipped around the corner and down the road. By the time she got to Privet drive she was nearly glowing in satisfaction and happiness. She was so overjoyed to see the house of her childhood hero that she almost missed the sound of someone cursing softly in French. Almost…

Gabrielle stopped skipping and stood silent for a moment, listening for whoever had spoken. The voice was so familiar, and she knew she should recognize it but her mind was clouded with expectation. Without warning a slight breeze shifted direction so that a particular scent assaulted Gabrielle's nose. Veela! There was another veela nearby, which meant competition… With a snarl one would never expect to come from the throat of a young girl, her face elongated and started to form a razor sharp beak. Her fingers were starting to turn claw-like and twisted when she heard the crack of apparition and the other veela was gone.

With her mood sufficiently spoiled, Gabrielle just marched the rest of the way to the door of Number Four and banged sharply three times. From inside she heard a man's voice grumbling as it neared the door, "This better not be about the milk. I told the whelp we didn't need three pints a day several times."

With a slam the door was thrown open and Vernon Dursley stared down at his visitor. He looked her over and reached for his wallet. "Ah, trying to sell girl guide biscuits?"

Gabrielle looked him straight in the eye and demanded in heavily accented English, "Show me Harry Potter."

Vernon instantly lost what little good spirits he had gained at the prospect of mint chocolate biscuits and glared hatefully at the girl. "You're one of those freaks aren't you? I won't have any freakishness in my house so leave us alone!"

This did not improve the situation one bit. Moving almost faster than the human eye could follow, the young veela's arm rocketed forward and caught the Vernon in the crotch. As he leaned forward grasping his soft tissue, her other hand grabbed his silk necktie and yanked downward with all her considerable might. Her right fist slammed forward once again and broke the muggle's nose. She pushed him out of the way and entered the house. Closing the door, she looked down to Vernon and tried again, "Where is Harry Potter?"

Trying to pinch his nose to stop the bleeding and simultaneously fend off another blow, the elder Dursley pointed and choked out a meager "Upsdairs…"

The youngest Delacour brought her seduction aura to the fore and stalked off towards the stairs.

00000

Harry Potter was having a better than average day. After he had arrived home three weeks ago his relatives continued their usual treatment as if they had never been warned. One note to the Order however had brought certain interested (and interesting) parties calling late one night. Harry didn't know what Remus and Mad-Eye had done, and truthfully he didn't want to know, but after a half hour alone with his relatives the current regime of ignoring everything to do with Harry came into effect. They didn't talk to him, about him, or even mention if he took a second helping of food at the evening meal.

Harry had been quietly reading a book Dudley had cast aside, The Atheist's Mass by Honoré de Balzac, when he heard the crack of apparition. Thinking it was just time for the changing of the guards, he paid it no mind until he heard the knocking on the door not long after. Harry began to get a touch excited, had one of his friends finally come to visit him in his private little hell? His hopes were dashed to pieces when he heard Vernon yelp in pain and then crash to the floor as only a morbidly obese man can. Harry fetched his wand from under the mattress and opened his window halfway. If whoever this was turned out to be hostile and not just a Dursley-hater (quite a sensible thing to be) Harry wanted to have an escape route planned. Harry trained his wand on the door and waited.

Almost immediately he heard a light knock and felt a little relieved. Death eater wouldn't be polite about it. "Who is it?" He called, moving to the door.

"Harry?" Was all the warning he got as the door was thrown open and a goddess who had descended to earth practically flew through the intervening space and knocked him onto his bed. Before he could think of anything to say or anyway to impress his beautiful guest, her mouth locked over his in a hungry kiss.

At first the kiss was harsh and rough, but as it went on, Harry noticed the tender sweetness just beneath the surface. He could barely think straight, only taking the time to identify who he was kissing before surrendering himself. He kicked off one of his shoes and somehow managed to sling it towards the door, knocking it closed with a click, as Gabrielle dug her fingers into the fabric of his shirt and ripped it open to expose his chest. Harry wasn't the most athletic wizard in the world, but sixteen years of slave labor didn't make a man fat either.

Suddenly Harry's weakened mind began to put two and two together through the seductive aura. This wasn't the body of a woman he was feeling; this was a child in his arms. It wasn't Fluer who charged into his room and began molesting him, it was her sister. Gabrielle was only eleven years old! He struggled to extract himself. "Mmph… Gabrielle!"

"Oui, I'm so happy you remember me!" She launched herself at him again. Harry turned away at the last second and her lips started kissing their way down his jawline. Harry could feel the heat rising in his face and elsewhere and tried to ignore the goddess strapped to his bare chest.

"What are you doing here? Why are you kissing me? What's going on?" Harry knew he was babbling but he was trying to ignore the petite hand that had a firm hold on his rear.

He couldn't decipher her answer because her English was not very good and his French was worse. All he knew for sure was there was something about a little girl, a veela, a woman, and hearing her claim "Mine!" before she went back to snuggling into his chest. At least the fevered and passionate kissing phase had ended for the moment.

Suddenly Harry's door crashed open to reveal Vernon Dursley and a cricket bat. "I'll get you, you little freak! I'll not have some little trollop strike me in my own house!"

Harry didn't understand Gabrielle's response exactly, but he knew obscenities when he heard them yelled. In moments the cute and loving goddess was gone and a cruel harpy from hell was flying across the room at Vernon, trailing fire from each hand. Within seconds the cricket bat was in small burning splinters and Gabrielle was tearing at Vernon's exposed flesh with her claws. He kicked and tried to bat her away with his ham like fists, but veela are vicious fighters when roused and they never give up. Vernon tried to run, but Gabrielle gave chase and Harry could hear them crashing through the house and the small explosions as she threw fireballs at him.

It was going to be a long day…

00000

Fleur popped into Grimmauld Place and was yelling for Dumbledore before she even finished whipping the invisibility coat off. She rushed into the kitchen and only found Remus.

"Remus, where is Dumbledore?"

"He's at the ministry, what's going on?"

"Gabby is in Surrey, and she's hunting for a husband." Fleur explained.

Remus couldn't help himself and ended up laughing. The way she said it made it sound like a dire emergency. "Your sister Gabby? I think Harry is safe enough. How much trouble can an eleven year old girl be?"

"It is serious! You don't understand, Gabrielle is not just an eleven year old girl, she is a veela."

"So are you but that doesn't mean Harry loses all control when you're in the same room. If he weren't Harry I'd be more concerned about her feelings when he turns away her advances."

Fleur shook her head vehemently. "Non, I only have un petite measure of the veela gift. Gabrielle has a very powerful gift. There are no male veela Monsieur Lupin, some girls, they are born with a lot of the gift, others with none. When a veela starts to… you know, become a woman… the veela gift will come forward and she will have a set of ideals for what would make the perfect mate. The closer a man to that image, the stronger their children will inherit the gifts. A veela will mate with no other and will attack anyone who tries to keep her from her chosen."

"And you think Harry meets her qualifications?" Remus was beginning to get a picture of just how serious this was.

"From the way she tried to attack me, I'd say he's the only one who does." Fleur said sadly.

"And if he refuses to become her mate?" Remus asked with dread.

"Only one of them will survive. She will try to kill him."

"Right, you find Dumbledore and I'll go to Surrey." Remus was on his way out the door and didn't even stop to grab the invisibility cloak.

00000

Harry had a slightly glazed look on his face as he began to assimilated the story he had finally managed to piece together from his limited knowledge of French and Gabrielle's broken English. He and Gabrielle were sitting on his bed, and he wrapped his arms around her while he thought. "So let's be perfectly clear. You want me to be your mate?"

"Oui."

"And make little veela?"

"I want houseful," she sighed and melted into his embrace.

"No one else will do?"

"Non."

"And you tried to kill my relatives so they could not interfere."

"Ces choses dégoûtantes!" She spat viciously.

"Right," Harry had no clue what that meant. "You know, I know so little about veela. Would you tell me a story about them?"

Gabrielle turned her head around so she could look up at him. "Ooo… I love stories. What do you want?"

"I recently lost someone who I loved like a father. Tell me a sad story. Are there any stories of veela who couldn't find their mate or whose mate didn't want them?" Harry sniffed a bit.

Gabrielle's voice was very sad and forlorn. "C'est tragique, ces pauvres veela. Non, those stories end so sad."

"How do those stories end?"

"La mort de chacun."

"La mort?" Harry was pretty sure that meant death, but dragged his finger across his throat as he said it.

"Oui, everybody." She shivered theatrically. "And not even la petite mort."

"Then tell me a happy story." Harry was happy that he managed to get the answer to his question without upsetting the young witch, but not altogether happy with what it meant. Once again it seemed fate had things in store he didn't have a say in. With half an ear he listened to Gabrielle talk about someone named Celeste who loved Jacque. Apparently Jacque battled a great dragon to prove his love and spent his nights in unspeakable pleasure. When she stopped speaking Harry gave the veela a slight squeeze around the middle. "That was a very good story. How about I write a quick letter to a family friend telling him the good news, and then I will make you a nice lunch?"

"You don't have to do that. Let me call Babette and she will do it. Her cooking, est magnifique." Gabrielle reached for her wand to summon the house elf, but Harry had something resembling a plan and tried to give her puppy dog eyes.

"You don't want to try my cooking?" Harry let her try to find an answer while he scribbled off a very hasty note, then tied it with the red emergency ribbon the Order gave him. The note was fairly simple, along the lines of 'help!' but with a warning not to make any sudden moves or try to interfere. He woke up his owl, "Hedwig, I need you to find Remus."

Hedwig flew off and headed straight for the corner where Lupin was already on guard. Harry didn't notice this since he was already on the way to the kitchen. Within minutes he was slicing meats and cheeses for sandwiches while a pot of water heated on the stove for tea. Remus came around to the back door and Harry waved him in. Harry made some introductions and went back to stalling for time with food.

Noticing that the young veela was already watching him warily, and guessing that she wasn't perfectly fluent, Lupin tried out the teenager's fallback; Pig Latin. "Harry, do you know what's going on?"

Harry nodded, "The short story is either I become Harry Delacour, or someone's going to die."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Well Moony, if she were a few years older, who wouldn't want a hot veela hanging all over him. As it is, she's pretty young but I really don't need another kill or be killed fight right now."

"Do you have any idea how to handle it, because I'm fresh out. Dumbledore is busy at the ministry right now so Fleur went to get her Grandmother. I've been sitting outside for the past hour reading what I could find and I really don't know what to do for you." Remus told him sadly.

"Right now, the only thing I can think of is to stall for time. Since she chased my relatives out of the house I've had her telling me stories, and now I'm cooking for her. I hope that eventually I can convince her to wait a while, or else maybe she'll realize that I'm not the best match for her."

"How can I help?"

"My biggest obstacle right now is language. She didn't think this through, but now that she's here nothing short of Merlin himself is going to make her leave. If you can figure something out, that'd be half the battle. I'll also need you to go to Gringotts and get me a bank statement. Maybe I'll be too poor for her to consider. After all it takes a lot of money to live on your own and maintain a household."

Lupin chuckled softly, "I doubt that the Potters were too poor cub, but that's a great idea. I'll write you a list of all those little details people never realize when they move out. We'll make her realize that the two of you aren't ready and that should buy you a few years."

"And I'll keep up the 'getting to know you' bit; maybe push the romance and 'true love' angles a bit while I wait. Bring it here, but send it by owl. She's kinda twitchy right now and I really don't want to upset her."

"No problem, now let's eat and I'll be a translator for a bit until I need to go."

The three of them ate a light meal of sandwiches and tea together. Harry served Gabrielle everything and tried his best to make those little gestures and keep her happy. Remus blushed a few times and he had to translate her "sweet nothings" she was trying to whisper. It was pretty awkward but at least they did manage to talk for a bit without needing to guess what some of the words meant. Harry, through Remus, told her that he wanted to spend the afternoon getting to know her and talking about the future. Eventually they were done with the meal and it was time for Moony to leave.

Harry watched the last of his pseudo-family walk down the street and wondered how in the world he was going to get out of this one as a pair of slender arms wrap around his waist. This was definitely going to take a while.


	2. Chapter 2

Halfway through Harry's photo album, the much awaited package from Mooney arrived by a plain brown barn owl. Inside were a matching set of pendants in a box shaped like lips and a short note.

_Harry _

_Fortunately you're hardly the first set of lovers to have a communication problem so a solution was fairly easy to find. Place a drop of your blood on the back of one of the pendants and give it to her. Have her do the same for you and so long as you're wearing the pendants they'll translate everything for you. Getting the bank statement from the Goblins will take a few hours but I'll make sure you get it today. Tonks is outside but for obvious reasons she can't do much but intervene in extreme situations. _

_Moony _

Harry pulled the two necklaces out of the wrappings and examined them. They were made of bone and shaped like a hand each fingertip held a very small rune. The backs had a small clear bubble to contain the blood. Trusting Lupin not to screw him over intentionally, Harry pricked himself with a straight pin and followed the instructions.

"There," he said once they were both set up, "now we won't have to worry anymore. So tell me little angel, just what a veela does to bond with her chosen."

"Little angel?" Gabrielle smiled and her aura flared slightly.

"You're named after the angel Gabriel, the angel of hope, and you're beautiful enough to be one too. My little angel..." Harry gently ran his fingers down her arm in a light caress. Damn, that veela charm was getting annoying. Focus! "The bonding?"

Gabrielle flushed a little at his praise and touch. "It is a little embarrassing to talk about… When a man and a veela you know… make love, she can tie their magic together and the bond is made."

"I see… Well then there's a lot to do and we better get started." Harry hurried over to his desk and began searching for some clean parchment and a quill.

"Harry, what are you doing over there? The bed and I are over here." She protested.

"I know that, but we're not going to be bonding."

"We're not?" Gabrielle asked sharply, her features already stretching and twisting.

"Well not this instant! I don't know how the veela do things but I am a proper British gentleman. At the very least there will be a wedding beforehand. I would not shame your family by doing it without one, these things simply aren't done."

The young girl's eyes lit up instantly, "A wedding! Oh I have always dreamed of a big wedding, guests, food, music, laughter, a perfect day of joy and love. When can we have it?"

"You have to be sixteen to get married in England and have your parents' permission, so thankfully we have time for the rest of it."

"Sixteen! What do you mean time for the rest of it?"

"First of all, I will only marry a woman I love. We will have to date and get to know each other better before the wedding. And then there is the question of schooling. I would not neglect you by making you quit school because of our marriage or possible children. Have you decided where you will go to school?" Harry began listing everything he could think of onto the paper.

"I will go to Beauxbatons of course!" She said proudly.

Harry scribbled it down on the paper, "Hmm, that's good, following in the family traditions and all. It will make it harder to date though, we might have to push the wedding back a few more years…"

"What? No, I changed my mind. I will come to Hogwarts. That way we can spend all of our time outside of class together and get married sooner." She peered over his shoulder to make sure he corrected everything.

Harry suppressed a shudder at the thought of the ultimate clingy girlfriend. "Hmm, that's another thing. Speaking of free time, I realize that a man's first responsibility is to his girlfriend but with Voldemort stirring things up I'm going to be very busy."

"Well then the next time you see him, just stop being nice and kill him. You're the boy who lived after all, you did it once and you can do it again." The way she said it made it sound like she had absolute trust in him. "Now let's start planning the wedding!"

What followed were three of the most torturous hours of Harry's young life. It seems that promising her a wedding was the wrong thing to do because now he had to help her decide if she wants a long sleeve wedding dress, or a sleeveless dress with long gloves. Did he think her hair would look better up or down? How many guests was he going to bring? Who were the groomsmen and best man? Couldn't he think of a few more people to invite? She needed room for her extended family and friends but they couldn't have more people on the bride's side than on the groom's. What color dress robe was he going to wear? Should they have French food at the reception or traditional English fare? Dinner was simple sandwiches eaten while discussing the venue, church, outdoors, at sea, on a mountain…

They were interrupted when Hedwig came back with Harry's account statements and the Order's suggestions for "adult responsibilities" and other stalling tactics. Gabrielle looked at Hedwig with a speculative gaze and asked Harry to borrow her. Harry didn't see any reason why not, so Gabby sat down to write a few letters. Once she sent them out, she was yawning noticeably so Harry decided it was time for bed.

"Come on, the guest bedroom is much nicer than my room and it's time for you to sleep." Harry pulled her out of her chair and towards the door.

"No, I will sleep with you. We may not be married but I won't leave your side until we are bonded."

"Again, I am sorry but that is not proper. A gentleman does not sleep with a lady until they are wed. I am only trying to protect our family honor." Harry felt like such a hypocrite right then. If it were her older sister, or even a normal girl closer to his age, propriety and honor would never have entered his mind.

Gabrielle's response was to pout as Harry led her away. Surprisingly she did not argue with him too much as he tucked her in and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. Harry turned off the lights and returned to his own room. Almost immediately after getting to his own room, the day's events caught up with him and he collapsed to the bed in exhaustion. Why did these things keep happening to him? Was there some great lottery of extraordinary circumstances being held somewhere that kept drawing his number?

So tired was he and so wrapped up in other things that he did not notice the sound of his door clicking open as he slipped into unconsciousness.

00000 (**These Letters written in French)**

_Grand-__mère, _

_I feel like such a lucky young girl. Already I have found my life-mate and he is every bit as kind and honorable as I hoped. He was surprised to learn about our veela customs and it took him a while to get used to the idea, but once he understood he became very caring and loving. I would have already bound myself to him but he insists on preserving family honor and protecting me from social pressures. Once he understood everything involved in the bonding, he asked me to marry him and insisted that we get to know each other first so we can have true love in our life. Most boys would jump at the chance but he is trying to show me he really cares first. Oh, Grandmother I am so happy! _

_Unfortunately the laws here would prevent me from marrying him until I am sixteen, and at home it would be fifteen. Now that I have found the one I was meant to mate with I do not know that I can wait that long. I do not want to hurt our family name and he is very protective of his own family's honor, what should I do? _

Votre petite diablesse,

_Gabrielle _

_00000 _

_Monsieur Dumbledore _

_I wish to attend _ _Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry beginning September first of this year. Due to some unique circumstances I will need to be placed in Gryffindor house and have a private room for myself and my fiancé. _

_Sincerely _

_Gabrielle Odette Delacour _

_00000 _

_To Whom It May Concern: _

_I feel it is my duty as a concerned citizen to report some very grave news. Early this morning, Harry Potter's muggle relatives were attacked and driven from their home. Mr. Potter, unable to legally defend himself against the person who attacked his family, remains in the company of the person who drove off his relatives. Why is the hero of the Wizarding world left defenseless while people who seek to do him harm wander the streets and harm innocents? _

_A Prophet Reader who wishes to remain anonymous _

_00000 _

_To the Feared and Powerful Dark Lord Voldemort, _

_I am writing on the behalf of Harry James Potter and seek to negotiate a truce. For many years the Potter family has stood against you and your forces, and you have killed or injured them countless times, but the past does not need to become the future. Due to some recent changes of a personal nature, Mr. Potter will not be able to continue to devote his whole attention to this war and has expressed a desire to stop fighting. _

_It is my belief that despite past actions and statements both sides may benefit from a ceasefire, truce, treaty, or non aggression pact between them. Though it is not likely in the foreseeable future that Mr. Potter would join your side of the conflict I urge you to consider that negotiations could reduce the scope of the conflict substantially. _

_If you wish to discuss terms of surrender or other matters, simply reply to this message with a magically binding agreement to not use violence for the duration of your stay and directions to the meeting will be forwarded immediately. _

_With hopes for peace _

_The Future Mrs. Potter _

_00000_

Harry was awoken suddenly and violently as Gabrielle leapt off his bed, changed into her half avian form mid air and flew shrieking out the door and down the hall. It was too bad because up until that point it was without a doubt the best night's sleep he had ever enjoyed. Harry could hear the front door slam open and the sound of a male voice screaming in terror and running away as Gabrielle screamed obscenities in French and crashed after him. A few moments later, the front door closed again and Gabrielle was whistling sweetly. Looking at the clock beside his bed Harry decided it was likely either the milk man or the morning post. Sighing to himself, Harry stretched and headed downstairs to get a start on breakfast.

"Ah Harry, you're up! You are lucky I heard him; there was some man outside who robbed owls of their post and put it in his sack. I chased him off but you should put up some defenses so he cannot try it again." Gabrielle was only wearing a light dressing gown so Harry quickly averted his eyes.

"That was the muggle post man. He delivers the mail instead of owls." Harry explained. "Why don't you go take a shower while I start making breakfast?"

The young veela nodded agreement and headed upstairs while Harry went to the kitchen. He started mixing eggs and milk in a bowl for omelets when there was a soft pop and a barely visible envelope dropped into his mixing bowl. He studied it curiously for several seconds but it was like trying to look at a clean piece of glass. Light passed right through it but there was just the slightest sheen that made it visible. The easiest way to look at it was to hold it over a light colored background, in which case his name stood out clearly on the front. Curiosity getting the better of him, Harry opened the letter and read the message.

_Mr. Potter, _

_We at the Ministry of Magic were deeply troubled to learn of your current predicament. We wish to assure you that effective immediately you have a license to use any magic you find necessary until your situation is resolved. We will take care of everything. This letter and envelope are made of a special parchment that should instantly dissolve in any fluid or in your mouth. Please destroy them as quickly as possible. _

_Godspeed and Good Luck _

_Department of Mysteries, Ministry of Magic _

'Well that was nice of them,' Harry thought to himself. 'Which situation? The Prophecy about me and Voldemort, living with abusive relatives, or having an underage veela wanting to shag my brains out? And if it meant Voldemort, did that include the unforgiveables? I guess I'll just have to see what pops up, but it's nice to know I'm allowed to use magic now.'

In short order two cheese omelets with toast and jam were sitting on the table alongside a fresh pot of tea. A few minutes later Gabrielle came down and they enjoyed breakfast together and talked about their hobbies. The owl post arrived and four owls headed straight to Gabrielle. The first was a newspaper, and judging from the brief glance Harry got of the cover before she ripped it to shreds, there was something about him in it again. Taking the one from the angry looking horned owl next, she grinned and nodded her head as she read the letter through.

"Harry, would you mind having a visitor this afternoon? I wrote to someone yesterday about how everything is going with the war and he wants to come talk with us."

"I have no problems with it, just so long as you're sure which side he's on."

"There was never any doubt, and he's even sent ahead an agreement that he won't do anything to either of us while he's here." She scribbled some the address and some directions on a return note and sent the owl off.

"Ok then. What else do you have there?" He inquired.

"The paper was printing their usual trash, but I also got a letter from Grand-mère and Headmaster Dumbledore." She started to open the one from Dumbledore.

"Well, what does it say?" He asked after a few moments.

"I'm going to come to Hogwarts with you! He has even agreed to give us a private suite near your common room so we can be together outside of classes." She said happily.

Harry smiled and nodded, but inwardly cursed. 'It's going to be a lot harder to keep up the propriety excuse if the rest of the school thinks we're sharing a bed anyways. Damn Dumbledore!' Harry excused himself and went to take a shower and think. Dumbledore was ruining his plan and he didn't even know it! Why for once could he not have asked if Harry wanted to move out of his dorm? Surely he couldn't think this insanity was a good idea? Harry was all for true love and marriage and all that stuff, one day he wanted a family of his own, but it would be nice to have some say in his own life for once. Right now his choices were; die, get bonded to a girl he hardly knew, or kill her. And how had she even found him in the first place? What about all those protections he was supposed to have? His friends weren't allowed to visit, but the Order guards just let Gabby walk right by?

Harry got out of the shower and hit his hair with a drying charm. When he got to his room he discovered that Gabrielle had apparently decided what he was supposed to wear that day. He found his emerald green dress robes laid out along with one of his white uniform shirts and a green tie. He didn't recall owning a green tie but sometimes you have to take what life gives you, especially when you're expecting guests.

The phone rang downstairs and Harry ran down to find Gabby staring at it and poking it.

"I'll get it, don't worry Gabrielle." Harry picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Oh hello Professor Dumbledore, yes we got your letter and she's very excited about it… You do realize that she does not speak English very well right? ... Oh everything is just fine here. No crazy and unusual things messing with my summer so far… What do I think? I think I could do with a lot less meddling from you! What were you thinking? ... Well nobody asked me! One day everything is nice and normal and the next I'm supposed to marry someone I barely know? ... And you're definitely not helping! You're making everything worse... So you're advice is "When rape is inevitable, lay back and enjoy it????" … I can't believe you. Let me worry about my life and you focus on running your school…" Harry slammed the receiver back in its cradle. He looked over and saw Gabrielle on the brink of tears.

"Harry, what's wrong?" She asked, struggling to hold everything back.

Against his better judgment Harry walked over to her and gave her a comforting hug. He couldn't stand to see a girl cry. He set her on the couch and sat down next to her. "Professor Dumbledore and I don't always agree. He does what he thinks is best for everyone but never stops to ask what the individuals want."

"And he wants you to marry another woman?"

"Not exactly. If I tell you why I'm mad at him right now do you promise to stay calm and listen all the way through?"

She nodded slowly.

"To be honest, we were arguing about you. I really wish I could have shielded you from this but I guess I shouldn't have lost my temper at the professor. When you showed up yesterday Gabrielle, you really turned my world upside down."

"I have never been able to understand women or even arrange a date without screwing everything up. Suddenly you show up on at my door and you want a lifetime bond. You want to become the mother of my children and have me all to yourself. If you were not a veela I would have turned you away yesterday. I would have tried to be nice, but the end result would be the same. You are still so young and most girls your age barely know what they want from a guy. Instead you tell me that because you are a veela not only am I your only chance at happiness, but that if I say no one or both of us could die."

By now the tears were falling down her face and she tried to speak but Harry shushed her. "I'm not saying no. What I was telling you last night was true. I do want to find love first. I do want to marry before sleeping with a girl. I won't take the chance that some child of mine might be a bastard. After growing up without a father I won't do it to a child, let alone what the press would think. I want any children to have two parents. Likewise I worry about you. Just because you are a veela and found me early doesn't mean you should just give up your life to be some kind of veela baby machine. Most of all I'm worried that I might not be the right one. I get it that when you went through puberty you had a vision of your perfect man. If that perfect man is me, then there's a pretty good chance love would grow between us and things would turn out well. But what if in five or ten years that perfect man isn't me? I don't want either of us to waste our life on some dream that didn't come true."

"That's why I was telling you about needing to be sixteen to marry, and about needing to date first, and everything else. If it's meant to be, then everything would turn out right and when we did bond it would be stronger because of it. If after you get to know me you discover that I am not that man you saw in your dreams, then at least you wouldn't have done anything you'd regret. I can already tell that you could be a good friend, and as a friend I'm willing to do just about anything for you, but I just want to be sure that this is what's really right first."

Gabrielle had managed to soak the front of his robes with her tears by this point. When he finished she looked up through tear filled eyes and kissed him gently and sweetly on the lips. "You offered to marry me even though you didn't know if it was right. You tried to protect me even from myself. Anyone else would probably have just slept with me and ignored everything else but you were honestly trying to make everything work and protect my honor at the same time. These are just more reasons to love you. Please don't turn me away Harry."

"Gabrielle, my little angel, I'm not going to turn you away. If the only options are to bond with you or to kill one of us, there is really no choice. I won't murder a friend, or the sister of a friend, just because of what she is and everything that comes with it. And I definitely refuse to die. Even if neither one of us would die, what kind of person would I be to destroy your only chance of happiness? If this is how it has to be, then I choose you. I just wish you never had to hear that. I wish you never had to doubt, or wonder later if I am with you through some twisted sense of duty. I wish this could be a wonderful and happy time of love and joy, instead of tears and worry."

They spent the rest of the morning lying on the couch. Harry alternated between reassuring Gabby and ranting softly to himself about life being unfair and meddling old men. Eventually Gabrielle reminded him they were having company over after lunch so they straightened themselves up and Harry went to prepare food while she made things presentable.

00000

The members of the Order of the Phoenix who were watching the Dursley home from outside were having a truly surreal day. Early in the morning they were greeted with the sight of a nearly naked veela chasing the post man down the street. After a few laughs and some memory charms, things settled down for a while. The Daily Prophet had somehow managed to get a whiff of the story even though they had none of the facts, they were reporting him kidnapped and whisked off to places unknown after valiantly defending his family from hundreds of angry death eaters without a wand. Could it be considered a hostage situation? Maybe, but then again they knew that the veela had no intention of hurting Harry, she just wanted to milk him dry of all his manly juices. Deadly? No. Bizarre? Yeah. The ministry sent a few Aurors over to check things out, but once the situation was explained they sat back to wait.

Shortly after noon, the watchers saw Gabrielle Delacour stick a mop handle with a pillowcase tied to it in the ground before going back inside. They argued for a while what this meant, but nobody seemed to agree. The Aurors thought it clearly meant she was surrendering, but couldn't figure out why neither of them came out if that were the case. Remus thought it was some kind of code or message, and Mad Eye insisted it was a cleverly disguised mine set to go off if they got too close.

The next surprising twist of the day came only a few minutes after everyone settled down again. Suddenly there was the sound of apperation and there in the middle of Privet Drive stood the most feared man in Britain, Lord Voldemort. The Aurors hit their emergency beacons and the Order members sent message spells off and everyone got ready to die. Voldemort however put his wand away and walked calmly up to the door of #4 and knocked. Moments later the door was opened and Voldemort entered Harry Potter's house with absolutely no resistance from anyone.


	3. Chapter 3

Gabrielle took Voldemort's cloak and hung it by the door like a good hostess then showed him into the living room for biscuits and tea. About a minute later Harry came out of the kitchen with a plate of tea sandwiches. The moment he noticed who was sitting in his uncle's favorite chair he threw the sandwiches one way and used the tray as a shield, diving towards the couch. For a moment silence reigned supreme as everyone waited for someone else to make the first move. Finally the Dark Lord broke the ice by letting out a laugh. Unlike his usual cold and maniacal laugh, this one was a deep belly laugh that conveyed true amusement.

"Come out from behind the couch Potter, I gave your wife to be my word that I will not act aggressively while I am here. I can still act in self defense but I will not attack either of you." Voldemort placed his wand on the table.

Harry came up from behind the makeshift barrier to find Gabrielle and Voldemort staring at him. "Oh… Well that's good. I never expected… That is I didn't think… Umm… Welcome to my home, would you like some tea?"

Voldemort nodded with a bemused smile, enjoying his adversary's discomfort. "Your fiancée tells me that you are not going to be able to devote as much time to fighting anymore and suggested that maybe you want to just "quit" the war?"

"I don't think that's what I said."

"Of course it was Harry. You told me that with the war going you would not have time enough to date and eventually marry me. And I know you told Fleur last week that you were tired of always fighting. The solution is obvious, quit fighting and you'll have all the time you need." Gabrielle took a new tray of sandwiches from her house elf while she explained.

"So you invited the Dark Lord here to talk things out? Were you dropped on the head as a child?" Harry looked at Gabrielle as if she'd sprouted tentacles. She huffed indignantly and headed to the kitchen.

"No, she called me here for one of France's greatest military traditions, saying 'please stop, this really isn't a good time for me' once they get tired of a war," Voldemort chimed in sarcastically.

Harry was having a really hard time with this whole situation. One did not engage in playful banter with the man who killed your parents, that's just not the way the game is played. He shook his head trying to gain some focus but only made himself dizzy. He gritted his teeth and tried to get back to the task at hand, "Ok, let's start this again. I had no idea you were coming, or that she was trying to arrange a surrender, but since you are here and apparently my guest please say what you've come to say."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to trip over yourself a few more times? I'm waiting to see how much of your foot can fit." Voldemort smiled which was very, very disturbing in and of itself. Meanwhile somewhere in Essex (near bouts Wickford), a can of Coca Cola curdled like milk left in the sun. "I see two options. The first I know you're unlikely to take but this will be your absolute last chance, you can join me and take a place of power among my followers. I recognize your potential; there are things we can teach you that you would never learn if you listened to the old man and his bird club. You could become one of the greatest wizards in history, if only you had the guts to reach out and seize your destiny."

"Would I be allowed to kill Bellatrix and Snape?" Harry asked hopefully.

"No."

"Damn! Dumbledore won't let me do that either…" Harry shook his head in sorrow. "I think I'll have to pass. I'm not that into that whole pureblood bigotry stuff and random violence never really thrilled me."

"Too bad, you could have been great. The other option I am prepared to offer is this; a temporary ceasefire. If you promise not to meddle with my plans and not attack my death eaters for a bit, we will extend the same courtesy in return. Just think, a year without someone trying to kill you. No crazy adventures cropping up, and no love potions being slipped into your drinks. Just time to be a normal kid…"

"I never noticed any love potions," Harry frowned and searched through his memories.

"Yet. That was the younger Malfoy's idea for this year, you were to fall in love with Daphne Greengrass who would then lure you out of the school for a romantic date and my Death Eaters would then kidnap you." again the calculating and smug look settled across the Dark Lord's features. "But this offer isn't free."

"What do you want?" Harry said after a minute of thinking.

"The prophecy, I know that Dumbledore was there when it was made and I'll bet he told it to you as soon as he thought I would never hear the original."

"Wait, which one? Are you talking about the one that says I'll have three wives and sixteen kids, or the one where we both die one day after getting plastered and walking in front of the Knight Bus?" Harry tried to look innocent.

"Don't play games with me boy! You know exactly which Prophecy I'm talking about." All pretenses dropped and Harry was reminded who was sitting across from him, as if he had somehow forgotten. "If it weren't for that damn contract I'd be ripping the knowledge out of your skull by now."

"Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a bunch," Harry held his hands up defensively. "I like the idea of some time off, but I've got a few conditions of my own."

Voldemort smiled again, rubbing his hands together in glee. The man who was drinking the coke tripped over a loose cobble and fell into traffic. "Let's get down to business…"

00000

Meanwhile in the slums of Knockturn Alley, Mundungus Fletcher hefted a pouch of coins speculatively. The customer didn't look like an auror or hit-wizard, but then again he couldn't really see what she looked like behind the rags and cloak. On the other hand, twenty galleons for a referral was better than any of the other grifters had seen in months. Suddenly he had an epiphany, he should help her however he could, she wouldn't cause any trouble. What's the worst that could happen? With no further hesitation, he pointed in the right direction, gave her directions, and told her the pass phrases to make the other man know she was trustworthy.

With a graceful bow, the unknown customer walked off to the next destination. Down four shops, she slipped into a side alley and then behind the main shops. Counting the bricks beneath her feet she walked another seventy three paces before feeling around for a disillusioned fire escape ladder. Taking it to the third floor she knocked on the window three times, then twice more.

A very disheveled and dirty man cracked open the window and stuck his head out. "Wha'chu wan?"

The woman held a hand over her nose to ward off the man's pungent odor. "I wanted to stop by and say hello. I finally got back from vacation."

"Yeah? 'Ow was it?"

"It was raining so I didn't get to see the pyramids."

"Wha' bout ya hubby?"

"A drop bear got him in Australia, poor guy caught rabies."

"Alrigh' ah figger tha's good enough for me. Get in here." The man stepped back and pushed the window all the way open. Once through the window it became apparent that an illusion hid the truth of the man and his home. The room inside was immaculate and near sterile, except for a can of rotting garbage kept near the window and spelled so that it wouldn't spread the smell to the rest of the room. A draftsman's table stood under a complex set of lights and next to a well stocked tool bench. Examples of his craftsmanship were hung around the studio, intricate pieces full of minute details and thin lines in patterns that should have been impossible for the human hand to duplicate. With a twirl of his wand, gone was the vagrant from the window and in his place was a young man with long delicate fingers. "Sorry about all that, now what can I do for you today?"

The cloaked woman pulled out four pieces of paper and eight muggle style photographs. "I need these made up as soon as possible, I'm planning some travel soon and I don't have time to go through all the normal channels to get everything done right."

The young artist started flipping through the papers and pulling out the supplies he would need. He reached the last set of photographs and papers when he was startled into dropping his engraving tools. "Whoa! You can't expect me to do this. This is…"

He was cut off as the woman dropped a very heavy bag of galleons in front of him. "That is why I came to you. If you can't do that one, please let me know who can and they will do all four. You just do your job and let me worry about how much trouble that last one will cause."

00000

Outside Number 4, Dumbledore and the Order were in a state of near panic. They had decided that using Harry's blood in his resurrection may have allowed Voldemort to slip through the wards, but they were now facing the problem of how to mount a rescue when the wards meant to protect him would now protect Voldemort as well. The wards worked prevented anyone with hostile intent from entering the home and protected blood relatives and invited guests. Now that Voldemort was inside they could not approach since they definitely meant him harm, nor could a Death Eater approach since they meant Harry harm. It was quite a paradox.

"Dumbledore, isn't there anything you can do? You built the protections; surely you can get around them." Molly Weasley wailed.

"Alas, I also built them so that they could not be taken down from the outside. If I could take them down or circumvent them, a death eater could do the same and I could not take that risk." Dumbledore twirled the end of his beard thoughtfully. "We could try to send in a completely neutral party, but it is unlikely they would be able to rescue Mr. Potter and we would never find a wizard who didn't wish one or the other of them harm."

"We could use a muggle," Moody suggested.

Albus thought for a moment, "I doubt they'd survive the experience, and if we tried to prepare them for what awaits them inside they would develop that same harmful intent that plagues us."

"What about Snape? I think you're the only one who is completely sure whose side he's on. I'm not certain he even knows." Remus put forward his idea. "At the very least he has experience hiding his intentions from all those years as a spy."

"I'll not risk my neck for that spoiled brat," Snape spat hatefully. "And I'll thank you to keep your doubts about my allegiances to yourself werewolf."

"Now Severus," Dumbledore said sorrowfully, "This is not the time to bring back old grudges. Surely you could try?"

"Alright, but we all know this is doomed to failure." The potions master said grumpily.

00000

Inside the house Harry and Voldemort shook hands over their deal. Both sides made concessions but in the end they were also both winners. They agreed to have the document written up and signed the following day. There were after all some things worth doing right and with the expensive parchment. After everything was signed and sealed, Harry would tell Voldemort the prophecy and the treaty would become binding and peace would reign for the next nine months. Voldemort initially offered a full year but after thinking it over Harry decided that it just wouldn't be a year at Hogwarts without somebody trying to kill him in May so he demanded concessions that reduced the time.

As Gabrielle captured the historic moment on film, they all heard someone knocking on the door. Harry and Voldemort both snatched wands off the table in front of them and overturned the couch for cover. Gabrielle however just put down the camera and moved to open the door. Needless to say Severus Snape was quite surprised at the scene he suddenly found himself in. There was a veela playing suburban housewife, the boy-who-lived staring at him defiantly and the most feared wizard in history covering his back. There was only one thing to do at a time like this; bluff like you have never bluffed before….

"My Lord," Snape began, bowing low, "They have sent me to negotiate for the boy's ransom."

"That won't be…" Voldemort suddenly found himself cut off as Harry leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Shush, I want to hear what they think I'm worth."

"As I was saying…" Voldemort shot Harry a glare. "That won't be cheap. The ransom is twenty million galleons in an account with the Gnomes at Geneva."

"Twenty million?" Snape gulped audibly, "My Lord, they can't possibly arrange that."

"Well how much is their Golden Boy worth then? Should I just kill him right now?" Voldemort grabbed Harry's collar and pressed his wand to his head.

"No! Wait…" Snape lowered his head and started mumbling to himself. "… let's see, the Potters had at least seven million, Black had another three, and if we sold off…"

"Reducto!" Harry did not like where this was going. He wasn't about to pay his way out of an imaginary hostage situation and he damn sure wasn't about to let Snape pawn off his family heirlooms. The short orange beam shot out of Harry's wand and caught a surprised Snape in the chest. With a crash, the greasy git flew through the front window and into the grass. Shards of glass from the window pierced his back while his front was bloodied from the curse.

"What are you doing boy? I thought we had a deal!" Voldemort aimed his wand for real this time and Harry could see a slight glow of magic collecting at the tip.

"The deal isn't signed yet! And besides, doesn't it seem a little odd to you that for years you've never been able to find me or get to me, but Snape has no trouble walking through my defenses? He's a spy!"

Voldemort stared at Harry and for a moment neither of them breathed. The glow from the end of Voldemort's wand intensified and everyone in the room contemplated just how binding that whole non-aggression pact was.

From outside, there was a slight tinkling sound before the voice of Severus Snape wheezed out to the watching Aurors and Order members, "I'm okay…"

The tension broke like a wave and Voldemort gave a negligent flick of his wand, sending a crackling black ball of magic flying through the window. Just as he was getting to his feet, Snape was hit from behind by Voldemort's curse which set him on fire with bright purple flames. Within seconds the spy was reduced to bones which kept burning but were not consumed.

Back inside Harry watched and thought to himself "I have got to learn that curse," as he repaired the window and charmed it unbreakable. "Now how were you planning on leaving without having to fight off the entire Auror corps?"

The Dark Lord peered around the curtains at the assembled forces of light and sighed to himself. "And Dumbledore too… I assume killing them all will make you back out of our deal?"

Harry nodded, "And you can't attack me or Gabrielle until after you've left the wards."

Voldemort performed a few detection charms that revealed that the Aurors had neglected to erect any kind of anti travel wards beyond those that protected the house and property. "We'll need some kind of distraction. If I can get to the end of the drive without them cursing me I can get away. I don't suppose either of you would mind being a hostage for a few minutes?"

"Are you kidding me? Dumbledore is almost as bad as you are. Once I was out of your clutches I'd be into his. I'm safer in here." Harry suddenly smacked himself in the head, "Merlin! I never thought I'd beg someone to leave me at my relative's house."

"The hostage, it could be both of us and all three of us leave," Gabrielle mused. "Or if Harry were a hostage to both of us, I could drag him back to the house."

"No, that won't work either dear," Harry pointed out. "Once he leaves there is nothing stopping the Dark Lord from killing us both. He may want the prophecy but I doubt he is willing to wait for it if he can just torture me for it."

Voldemort nodded, not the slightest bit offended that they didn't trust him. It was all true after all, "That does give me an idea though. Let me think for a minute while I remember the spell… Alright, Potter you come over here in front of me and to the left. Miss Delacour?" Voldemort switched to French for a moment, "Please stand in front of him like so. I'll transfigure these spoons into something more useful and there's only one thing left to do…"

00000

Dumbledore and the Aurors instantly tensed when they saw the front door open shortly after Snape died before their eyes. Everyone's wands came out and shields were erected before them, a curse on every lip. Someone inside the house threw three small glass bottles out the door, where they shattered on the walk. Voldemort's high evil voice caught everyone's attention. "Nobody move or else your Golden Boy will need a new head!"

Given that for an introduction, everyone was shocked to see Harry Potter come out the door with his wand to Gabrielle Delacour's head. Voldemort was third out the door and had his wand pointed at Potter. It was Gabrielle's delicate voice that came from Voldemort's mouth as everyone wondered who to curse. "Let him go!"

"Polyjuice!" Dumbledore yelled, "Nobody fire until we know which is the real Dark Lord, he's probably got the other two under the Imperious."

Reluctantly it seemed Harry/Voldemort turned loose of Gabrielle/Harry, who immediately drew her wand and pointed it at Voldemort/Gabrielle. Voldemort/Gabrielle drew a second wand to point at Gabrielle/Harry, and Harry/Voldemort decided he couldn't be left out of the fun. Suddenly it was a classic Mexican stand off walking down the drive towards the crowd of Aurors. Dumbledore was trying to be certain which of the three was the bad guy and signaled to the rest to hold their fire. Everyone edged back as the trio reached the edge of the property. As soon as his toe crossed the ward line, Voldemort/Gabrielle disappeared, and the other two dropped the wands that had been pointed at him and grabbing their opponent's wand arm by the wrist.

"You're girl friend isn't here to save you now Potter." Harry sneered at Gabrielle as they both started circling each other headed back towards the house.

Gabrielle's response was to spit in his face and duck as he sent a red spell where her head had been. Harry dodged sideways as Gabrielle whispered a dusting spell in his voice. The bright blue beam shot harmlessly into the sky. There was chaos for a brief second as several of the less experienced Order members took this as a signal to start cursing, but Dumbledore and Lupin threw shields in front of the curses. Harry and Gabrielle took advantage of this confusion to dart back inside and slam the door.

"Finite," Harry pointed his wand at the young veela and repeated his spell. "I can't believe that just worked!"

Gabrielle giggled a little bit, "It was fun, at least until they started trying to curse you. I wonder why Mr. Lupin put up that shield."

Harry reached out and tapped her pendant with his finger. "Moony is the one who got these for me, he must have figured out that we were both real after Voldemort left."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer; I don't own the intellectual properties associated with any of the characters portrayed in this story.

A/N; FINALLY DONE! This chapter is the last one in this story, but I do have some plans for a sequel (see the footnote at the end of this chapter).

00000

Not long after leaving Knockturn Alley, the cloaked woman went into a small shop in Diagon and picked up a port key that she'd ordered earlier in the day. After the rush of travel wore off, the woman cast a cooling charm on her robes and removed her cloak. Odette Delacour hung her cloak on one of the designated hooks and transfiguring her clothing into something more suitable for the climate. She handed a few coins to the gentleman manning the store and got some local money and her papers stamped before leaving the store.

The black gravel path under her feet crunched with every step as she soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed her walk through the early morning air. After a short while the path found its way down the mountain and into a small coastal village. A messaging spell left Odette's wand and flew off into the village. Delicious odors and tantalizing scents wafted from the market as people set up for another day in paradise. Selecting a fresh pastry and a bottle of juice, she sat in a small café to await an answer to her spell.

It was not long before an elderly man in black robes walked into the café. The owner and other customers nodded and kissed his knuckles as he passed their tables. Finally he came to Odette and sat beside her, motioning for his usual coffee and breakfast. "It is so good to see you again, how long has it been since you came to see me?"

"Ten years at least, Father. I had forgotten how nice everything is here just before the season picks up." She sighed and looked out the window.

"So what brings you back? Thinking of settling down for your golden years?"

"No, my granddaughter has decided she's found her soulmate. They want to get married, but well... there's a few minor problems."

"Is he a good catch?"

"Well no parent or grandparent ever thinks her daughter's suitor is worthy, but I am happy for her. To find her match at such a young age, that's special."

"So you want me to take care of it?" The old man asked.

Madam Delacour nodded, "He's got a good heart and a knack for attracting trouble but I think I can straighten him out and train him up right. I came to you because I know that no one back home would be able to take care of everything, there's just too many annoying little details."

The man nodded gently and smiled. "I understand, for whatever reason you want it done quietly. I take it his family is a bit protective?"

"Very, but if I get him to you, you and the Brothers will take care of him?"

"He'll disappear without a trace and everything will be taken care of before anyone knows what's going on."

"Thank you Father, hopefully I'll bring them within the week."

00000

Almost immediately after Voldemort left Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore knocked on the door of number four. Harry gave a few quick waves of his wand to vanish any debris from the recent fracas and right the couch before answering the door.

"Hey Moony, come on in. Gabrielle or Babette will get you some refreshments," Harry waved the werewolf in but put out a hand to stop his Headmaster. "I'm sorry sir but I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Harry, this place is no longer safe! You must come with us immediately."

"I'm safer than I ever have been, now if you'll excuse us my family and I have much to do." Harry slammed the door on the stunned Professor. When he turned back towards the living room he saw identical misty smiles on the faces of Remus and Gabrielle. "What?"

"You consider me family?" Gabrielle asked, barely holding back tears.

"Well I am going to marry you eventually, and I guess Remus is some kind of crazy uncle. So yeah, you're both family." He was immediately hugged by both parties and wondered if he should start watching his words a bit more carefully.

"I love you too cub," Remus said as he let go. "Now, what the bloody blue hell just happened here?"

"You mean with Voldemort?" Harry tried to shrug innocently. "I just saved more lives in thirty minutes than the entire Order did in the last war. He wanted to talk to me and make me an offer, so I listened."

"Harry, Voldemort doesn't make deals. I don't know what he offered you or what he wanted but whatever it was will backfire the moment he gets what he wants."

"I am not a complete idiot. However I am going to have to change a great many of my plans. I have a sneaking suspicion I won't be welcome in the British Wizarding World after a few weeks."

"What did you do?" Moony asked him very slowly.

"I did what any man would do, I made a very tough decision when faced with an impossible choice. Starting tomorrow and going until Easter Voldemort and his Death Eaters won't be killing anymore children unless it is self defense. Call it a truce for everyone under seventeen, if the kids don't try to kill the Death Eaters they'll be left alone in return." Harry ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Initially they were only going to let me go free for a full year but I know I couldn't live with that if my friends were killed."

"And what do they get in return?"

"What price can you put on hundreds of innocent lives?" Harry stared into his friend's face, daring him to say that any price was too high. "The big thing is that unlike everybody else, I don't have a choice. Ron, Hermione, Neville and everyone else can choose to fight the Death Eaters if they want; they just give up the protection I bought them. I CAN'T fight unless it is self defense. If I'm in Diagon Alley and it gets attacked, I can't do a thing to stop them unless the curses are coming at me. I can throw up every shield I want, but I cannot fire a single curse back. But that shouldn't matter to the Order, they're always telling me to leave the fighting to the adults. The deal isn't as long as it would have been for just me either, but it's still saving lives."

Remus still didn't seem to be convinced. "How can you believe that Voldemort will hold up his end of the bargain?"

"We're going to sign a magically binding contract, if he doesn't police his side he'll lose his magic," Harry explained. "But Voldemort isn't the one I'm really worried about right now. How will the public see it? What will they say when Harry Potter doesn't come charging to the rescue? I didn't have to make this deal. I could have blown him off and those of you outside would have had to fight for your lives once he left. Instead I did what I could to reduce the amount of bloodshed that is coming. I just doubt that others will see it that way."

Lupin sat for a few minutes as he considered the implications of this choice. "You're right, they'll only see you not fighting back. They won't see how much it bothers you or the benefits of your choice. This is one of those 'big picture' deals and most people never look past themselves. So what are you going to do?"

"I'll just have to do what I can. I plan to work myself until I drop, have my fiancée nurse me back to health and start all over. I've got nine months before Voldemort comes after me personally. You've never seen him as focused as he will be the day our bargain expires." Harry shuddered dramatically, "Before he has always had many plans going at once. He had to fight the Aurors, the Order, the press, and pursue rare magical artifacts and powers. The day our deal expires he will drop everything else and throw all of his strength and that of his Death Eaters at one target, me. If he is half as smart as I think he is, the press will smear me before ink is dry. My name will be mud in Britain the moment my name hits that parchment and there will be no one to help me train for the coming war. He'll make sure that I'll never see another kind face until the day I die if he's half the opponent I know he is. He can't afford it."

"You'll be welcome with me Harry," Gabrielle squeezed his hand tightly. "And I think my family will surprise you too. My grandmother's letter said she was happy for me and promised that she would help us if we needed anything."

"Thank you, I'm going to have to depend on you a lot and I'm glad you are here for me." Harry smiled at her and once again felt the pulse of her Veela charm wash over him. "So what about you, Moony? Are you going to help me out or are you still with the Old Man?"

"Well I'm not sure we're down to one or the other yet, but if it does, family comes first."

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The next morning Harry again woke up to find Gabrielle in his bed, holding him tightly. He managed to slip out of bed without waking her and moved to the shower. When he came back she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and took his place. Strangely Harry noticed a nice set of crimson dress robes laid out on the bed along with a pale yellow shirt and his Gryffindor tie. The strange part was that the tie was the only thing he recognized as being his. Where was she getting these cloths when she didn't even have a trunk and how did she know his sizes already?

Babette was busy in the kitchen by the time he got downstairs, and the morning mail had been sorted and placed on the counter. Idly Harry wondered if this was going to be his life from now on, everything done for him before he could even try, only trotted out when there was a Dark Lord to defeat or something "official" to do. Well of course he'd still have to do his school work and eventually his job as an Auror, but after being forced to do everything around the house for so long it kind of felt wrong to have someone else taking care of things.

There was no new mail for Harry, at least none he could see, so he grabbed the Daily Prophet off of Gabrielle's stack and poured himself a cup of tea as Babette tottered over with a plate of crepes and sliced fruits.

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**_Day Three of Potter Hostage Crisis _**

_By Ima Tellen _

_Yesterday marked the second day of Harry Potter's captivity at the hands of unknown assailants. While no demands have been made public, Aurors report that they have every reason to believe that the Boy Who Lived is still alive and in good health. When questioned about the identities of the attackers, the Aurors said they could not make a definitive identification. There are several reports from various witnesses that He Who Must Not Be Named and a young unnamed blond girl briefly allowed Mr. Potter to be seen, but the reports are conflicting as to his wellbeing at the time. Some claim that he displayed symptoms of a textbook Imperious victim, while others reported that the young girl was controlling him through another means such as possession. _

_It is unclear at this time if the kidnapping was done on You Know Who's orders or if it was perpetrated by a group who is merely sympathetic to His cause. Harry's apparent good health would point to the latter, but according to some experts the easy answer might not be the right one. One former Hit Wizard and hostage negotiator told the Prophet that it is possible that whoever is responsible has some other agenda beyond murder or ransom. _

_It is possible we are told that Mr. Potter is being systematically tortured until he breaks and gives in to their demands, which may include certain oaths or rituals that can only be completed when both sides are totally willing. The former Hit Wizard suggested that any number of groups, up to and including the Ministry of Magic itself (see page seven A for a report on strongarm tactics used by the Ministry in the past), might want to use the boy hero either as a pawn in the war or a political mouthpiece for their views. _

_As the third day of this horrible tragedy dawns, our thoughts and prayers go out this morning to the friends and family of Harry Potter. Everyone at the Daily Prophet is hoping for a swift and peaceful resolution to this crisis. _

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Harry stared at the paper in shock. He couldn't believe it. No, on second thought he could, why should his life ever make sense? Where had they gotten the impression that he was being held hostage? Was this something that could be used to his advantage or was it likely to make things even worse? There were no obvious answers so Harry decided he would just have to wait and see.

A knock at the front door interrupted his musings. On the other side he found two people he really felt he should know. The first was a man in his mid thirties with blonde hair and large amber eyes, he was dressed in a tweed suit and carried a basket of milk bottles. His companion was dressed in a black suit will tails and carried a chimney brush, aside from the brilliant blue eyes that seemed to know his every secret the child could have come straight off the set of Marry Poppins. The smaller one looked at Harry and her voice revealed their identities right off, "Hello Harry, we're here to give you some milk and clean your chimney. They're often infested with trollumps so you should clean them regularly."

Chuckling, Harry threw open the door and nodded to the men on the corner in green jumpsuits. Wizards really needed to learn how to blend in better. "Come on in Luna. Can I assume this is your father?"

"Laetus Lovegood at your service," the older man shook his hand while glancing around the room as if searching for a threat.

"Pleasure to meet you," Harry answered. "Why don't you and Luna join us for breakfast and you can tell me about whatever it is that brought you here this morning."

He escorted them back to the kitchen and had Babette start another batch of crepes going. They chatted companionably for a few minutes but soon Mr. Lovegood wanted to get down to business. He pulled out a dictation quill and instructed it to start recording. "So tell me Mr. Potter, how hard have the past few days been for you both physically and emotionally."

"You mean this whole hostage thing?"

"Yes, I am hoping to do a piece about it for the next issue of the Quibbler. Now if we hurry we might be able to wrap this up before your captors come back. So please answer the questions if you don't mind."

"Well honestly when I first found out I was being held hostage I was as shocked as anyone else. It's been an emotional rollercoaster the last few days but I think I've got a good handle on it right now. Physically, well I can tell you my heart just about stopped when I saw Voldemort in my relatives' living room but once I got past the initial shock I don't think it was too hard."

"And at what point did you realize you were in real danger? Can you tell us about the moment when everything clicked into place?" He asked, making notes on a separate pad about the scene and body language.

"Well I'm not sure I've been in much danger really. Well not more than I always am. As for when I realized what was going on, well that happened about five minutes before you showed up actually. I picked up the Prophet and there is was on the front page. I didn't even know I was being held hostage!" Luna took a picture of him holding up the newspaper to show the headline.

"Alright, just a few more questions and we'll be ready to go. What can you tell us about the people holding you here? Do you know what they want, are they torturing you to make you break and give into their deviant desires?" Laetus sounded a bit too eager at the end, talking about deviant desires but Harry decided he might as well answer anyway.

"Well that's a complicated question really. There are a lot of people holding me here against my will and they all want different things. The first group is called the Order of the Phoenix, and they want me to kill Voldemort. They're rather polite about and haven't interfered too much, just watch me to make sure I can't leave," Harry pointed out the window to the Order guard standing outside. "Voldemort wants to kill me but has some unfinished business to take care of first. He isn't too picky about where I am but he's got a schedule to keep and is easily annoyed. The rest of the Wizarding world seems to flip flop on what they want but last I heard it was for me to be somewhere out of sight where they didn't have to hear from me. Then of course there is me. I really don't want to be here but I'm forcing myself to stay too because it keeps certain opportunities available."

"And then there is your insanely jealous fiancée who refuses to let another female near you until you're totally hers," Gabrielle's voice came from behind him. She was definitely not looking friendly

"Oh," Luna looked surprised for the first time in Harry's memory. "I never even knew he was dating someone seriously. Let me know if you see her alright, she might not understand that I'm just Harry's friend."

Gabrielle gave her a very funny look as Harry tried to make introductions. "Gabrielle, this is Laetus Lovegood and his daughter Luna. They are here from the Quibbler and wanted to interview me. Luna is also a good friend of mine from school, she went with me to fight Death Eaters at the Ministry. She probably saved my life, I don't know if we would have made it if she didn't hold them off as well as she did." Harry decided a little white lie was probably called for, and there was no harm in inflating her worth in that particular fight. "Luna, this is Gabrielle Delacour. She's decided that we're going to get married one day."

"I wonder if that would work with Ronald," Luna mused aloud. Switching to French she spoke to Gabrielle. "It's nice to meet you. I hope we can be friends."

Reluctantly deciding she needed to be nice to people who saved her future husband's life Gabrielle nodded acceptance and joined them at the table.

Seeing that everything was settled, Mr. Lovegood moved to take control again, "Well then congratulations on your match Mr. Potter, I'm sure we'd love another interview later if you'd give us one about your personal life but for now I just have one last question. How long do you expect to remain a captive?"

"Well it's not something I can really pin down for certain, but I don't think this will all last much longer. I expect Voldemort and I will work things out later today. The Order will probably want me to leave soon after, and Gabrielle and I can keep up our little standoff just about anywhere. So in a day, maybe two, I think I'll be able to have a bit more freedom but I don't know if I'll ever be able to just do as I please without anyone trying to stop me."

"I know what you mean," Laetus said, sadly shaking his head. "For years I've been trying to prove that the Malfoy's are descended from House Elves, but the ministry still refuses to let me have one for study. Not only are they killing my dreams, but they're holding back Science!"

"Riiight," Harry said slowly. "Well I don't know what your schedule looks like for today, but if the two of you are able to stick around for a bit I can promise you the story of the year."

"You mean you've captured a crumple horned snorkack?" Luna asked quickly.

"No, but Voldemort is coming over before lunch and we've got a few minor things to sort out. When was the last time any reporter got to see the Dark Lord out in public without having to run for their lives? Not only would the pictures be a Quibbler exclusive but I'm sure we'll have a very interesting announcement when we're done." Harry promised them. "Insights into his twisted mind, candid moments with the most feared man in Britain, and a story no one will believe."

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Voldemort arrived just before noon to finish their agreement and hear the prophecy. Mr. Lovegood had insisted that Luna go upstairs with Gabrielle so that Voldemort wouldn't know she was there. He might be insane, but Laetus didn't want his baby girl marked for death any more than anyone else. His breath hitched in his throat as Voldemort seemed to glide into the room, the very picture of power and grace.

Voldemort stared deep into the eyes of the reporter and pulled his aura into being. Laetus nearly tripped as he backpedaled to get away from the man who had ended so many lives. He only stopped when Harry put his hand on his shoulder to reassure him. Harry didn't have enough control of his magic to manifest an aura, but he set his face to stone and straightened his back.

"If you are done playing mind games with the press, can we get down to business?"

"Very well," Voldemort flicked his wrist and seemed to draw a roll of parchment and ribbons from the air. "I have no desire to stay in this muggle hovel any longer than necessary. Just sign it and give me what I want."

Harry took the scroll and waved to the coffee table where a tea set had just appeared. "I'll have to read it first so you might as well get comfortable. I may be young but I'm no fool and I won't be signing this until I am certain it says exactly what we agreed on."

"It's all there," Voldemort promised him. "I still can't see why you want me to spare the brats. Surely it's kinder to kill them with their parents."

"But orphanages turn out such powerful Dark wizards, wouldn't you agree?" Harry gave a smirk. "No, I have to keep that good guy image up for the press. If I give you what you want for my own safety, I'm a coward, but if I give you what you want for their children's safety I'm a hero."

"Don't delude yourself boy. You're not a hero, you're just an unmarked item on my to-do list peddling away the only thing you have of value for a few kisses with a veela."

"So you don't put any stock in the attention seeking child angle?" He was answered with a snort of disgust. "Then you're vastly more intelligent than Snape, Malfoy and Fudge. I can see why they're reduced to groveling at your feet."

Eventually Harry read through the short document. Despite its flowery words it was quite simple. Harry was agreeing to step aside completely for one year and give up the prophecy (it was very specific about which prophecy as well), Voldemort was agreeing to spare any children they came across in his raids during that same time period. There were penalties and conditions laid down about how responsible Voldemort was for the actions of the Death Eaters, but everything seemed to be exactly what they agreed on.

"I'm impressed," Harry said as he laid it out on the table. "With your reputation for deceit and trickery I expected a lot more loopholes."

"And I never expected you to accept my offer," Voldemort returned. "Perhaps I've underestimated you."

"Perhaps... There is however just one problem with this." Harry told him.

"And just what is wrong, I took care to include all your silly rules of behavior."

"No, the contract is fine. It's your signature I have a problem with. We both know that Lord Voldemort is not your true name and the magic won't bind you."

"I will not put that name down! That filthy muggle name is no more mine than it is Albus Dumbledore's."

"Then we don't have a deal. I know better than to take your word, it's a binding contract or nothing at all. So lovely to see you again, get the hell out."

Voldemort leapt to his feet and flashed his aura again. Harry stood to match and stared him right in the eyes, daring him to lash out. He reached down inside and grabbed every scrap of magic he could find, pushing it into his eyes and voice. Magic crackled in the air between them and Harry's voice was like thunder echoing off a mountain. "This is not up for negotiation. Do. We. Have. A. Deal?"

Time stood still for a brief second as the battle of wills raged on. Harry knew he couldn't win if it came down to a real battle, but he also knew that Voldemort had sworn not to use magic against him in his relatives' home. Voldemort knew he could probably force the boy out of the house, but that would get the Aurors involved and the boy might escape while he wasted time killing them. Both of them knew that this was Voldemort's easiest and possibly last shot at discovering the prophecy.

Without a word, Voldemort signed the parchment again, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Harry added his own and the parchment's magics filled in a date and time. Pointing his wand, Voldemort placed a Dark Mark beside his signature, "Sigillum!"

Harry repeated the spell, leaving a lightning bolt crossed with Gryffindor's sword. Another quick spell "Effingo" made a copy for each of them.

"And your side of the bargain?" Voldemort prompted.

Harry pulled a small glass vial from his pocket. It contained his memory of hearing the prophecy in Dumbledore's office, extracted as if for a pensieve. No one said he had to make it easy on the Dark Lord after all. "Here, now that we've got that taken care of I don't think we have much left to discuss."

Voldemort flicked his wand and his copy of the parchment rolled itself up and flew into his hand. He prepared to leave, but timidly Laetus Lovegood raised his hand for attention.

"Could I get you both to pose for a quick picture?" He asked.

After conjuring a quick backdrop and summoning his camera, Lovegood started taking photos. Both Harry and Voldemort felt ridiculous faking for the camera what was in reality mutual hatred, but since neither were very demonstrative emotionally they had to ham it up a bit. They snarled and clutched their wands. They looked distrustful as they displayed the signed contract, and tried to look imposing for a repeat of their eye to eye face off. Once Lovegood got into the business of being a newspaperman again he was ordering the two around like a pro and seemed to have forgotten just who he was telling to do what.

"And one last shot if you don't mind," he said, working the camera all the while. "Alright this one is a candid shot. Harry I want you to hug him, maybe a quick kiss on the cheek. That's it, you're giddy as a schoolgirl to be in the presence of greatness..."

Suddenly Harry and Voldemort snapped back to reality. Harry dropped his arms and both of them leveled a VERY intimidating glare on the reporter. McGonagall would have been hard pressed to compete with either of them at that moment. With a gulp, the camera was lowered and Mr. Lovegood sat down.

Voldemort swept to the door and stopped for one last jab, "I'll see you at Easter Potter."

"I'll be waiting," Harry promised. With one last handshake the Dark Lord walked down the drive and parted the reassembled Aurors with just a glare before apparating with a crack.

Before he could even close the door, Harry heard a second crack and looked out to see an older woman in expensive robes appear. Harry felt a brief touch of desire wash over him as the crowd parted yet again, this time in reverence and awe. It wasn't hard to guess that he was being visited by one of the Delacour family but her age was impossible to gauge so he didn't know which one.

Harry gave a slight bow as she came to the door and welcomed her inside.

Surprisingly she spoke English with only a slight accent, "So you are the boy who has captured my granddaughter's heart... I am Odette Delacour."

"Harry Potter, ma'am, I am pleased to meet more of Gabrielle's family. I can see where she gets her beauty." He escorted her to the living room where the Lovegoods were putting their equipment away and preparing to leave.

"Have I come at a bad time?" She asked.

"Not at all, Mr. Lovegood here is the editor of the Quibbler. We just finished up something, and I have all the time in the world."

"Something to do with all the people outside then?"

"Partly, the Dark Lord was just here and Mr. Lovegood wanted to be here to get the story." Harry shook Laetus' hand and gave Luna a quick hug as they were leaving. "You two make sure to send me a copy of those pictures alright?"

"I'll make sure Daddy remembers," Luna promised him. "And we'll send Gabby the pictures I took of the two of you."

"Good bye," Odette called out cheerfully. Once they were gone she turned back to Harry. "So why was the Dark Lord here? I'd heard rumors he was back but nothing official."

Harry tried to think of how to answer that without alarming her, "Well he really wants to kill me, but Gabrielle decided that fighting a war and possibly dieing would interrupt our marriage."

"So she got the two of you to sit down and talk things out," Odette nodded smugly. "We worked so hard to teach her that violence wasn't the only answer. It's not an easy thing to teach a young veela, let me tell you. You'll find out soon enough I'm sure."

"Well not exactly," He was really starting to wonder if he were the only sane wizard in the world. "He still wants to kill me, and I'm not too fond of him either, but we've agreed to a temporary truce."

"How temporary?"

"Just a year."

She looked pleased. "Good, hopefully you can give Gabrielle at least one child in that time. Do twins or triplets run in your family?"

"I don't think so," Harry was convinced. They were all mad.

"Then one will have to be enough. After all, what kind of man would leave a young wife and child alone when he went off to get himself killed?"

"Right..." Harry agreed slowly.

"Now do you have anything else urgent this week? A young man your age shouldn't have too many worries in the middle of the summer."

"No, I think I've got everything taken care of. I take it you and the rest of the family wanted to get to know me a bit?"

She scoffed a bit, "When a veela chooses a mate, family approval doesn't really matter much. But Fleur speaks highly of you and Gabby was excited for weeks after you rescued her in that Tournament so I'm sure my son and his wife will come around eventually. No, I was thinking that you should get the wedding over with and get started on those great grandchildren for me to spoil."

"But we can't get married yet. We're too young." He really wasn't up for having this particular argument again.

"Nonsense," she assured him. "Didn't Gabrielle tell you I promised to take care of everything? Now, I took the liberty of getting you a new passport. I got one for both magical places and muggle ones. Your name is Pierre LaPlace, one of the cadet branches of the Delacours that died off a while back, and you're seventeen years old."

"But Gabrielle is only..." He trailed off as aforementioned girl came down the stairs looking at least five years older. Her body had gone from young child to heart breaker in the last hour since he'd seen her.

"Oh good," Madame Delacour squealed. "You've already taken the aging potion I sent you. Now I got you new passports too."

"Do I need a new name too?" Gabrielle asked.

"Oh no, I just changed your age to match. I just gave Harry a new name because he is a bit too well known to fiddle with the age." She handed them both two leather booklets and started rummaging around in her purse. Finally she pulled out a key and a small piece of gold chain. "Now I've got a portkey here that will take you to Bellefontaine on the north end of Martinique. The Monsignor has promised to take care of the wedding for you, and you two can use my mother's summer home for a honeymoon. I'll send Babette along with your luggage in the morning and I'll join you lovebirds in a week. We'll have to work hard to tutor Gabrielle up to your level in school but I'm sure we can do it."

"Thank you Grand-mère," Gabrielle hugged her grandmother tight and took the key she offered eagerly.

Harry was still too shocked to reply as Odette laid the chain across both of their wrists and tapped it with her wand. "Bon Voyage!"

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A/N; And that's the end of Taking Hostages. I've got a rough idea of what I want to do with a sequel but I'm not sure I can pull it off anytime soon. It'll pick up just after this one left off (no wedding or honeymoon scenes, sorry) and focus on the lead up to Easter (when Volde pulls out the big guns). So look out for Fugitive Lies (working title, may change) coming whenever I get around to it. Man it feels good to finally finish another story. I don't really have a good track record there do I?

This chapter has taken me practically forever to get out and I really don't know why. The first three were written in less than a week and I started work on this one even before the third was published. I ended up deciding to change the ending a bit which is what finally enabled me to finish it. Initially I was going to have Gabrielle's experiments in home cooking accidentally poison Voldemort during the final meeting (Harry served him, ergo "at the hands of the other") but I just couldn't get it to work. I even had that scene written but it was the rest of it that was bugging me. When I changed it so Voldemort lived, I just got unblocked and the rest of it oozed out somehow.


End file.
